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Relentless bile reflux / pain
Hi all,
In short, I've been suffering from the following for the last 2.5 years...
- daily burning in esophagus from reflux pretty much immediately after meals, can last for up to 2 hours
- dull, progressive pain on right side of abdomen just next to belly button and under rib. Can be sharp sometimes and radiate into right shoulder. Longest stint of pain was 4 - 5 days. Worse after eating
- burping and trapped air which causes sharp pain in my back
- Reflux is so bad that food gets stuck on its way down my food pipe and throat hurts a lot in general
- consistently yellow stools - been like that for years now
- Frequent 'IBS-like' symptoms - bloating, sharp cramps, intolerance to fatty heavy foods
I've had the following tests...
- x2 gastroscopy (gastritis and biopsies showed inflammation)
- x1 colonoscopy - clear
- H pylori breath tests - clear
- Fecal elastase to check pancreas function - clear
- Parasite testing - clear
- x3 ultrasounds - all clear
- HIDA scan - around 78%
- various blood tests (LFT, renal profile, CBC etc etc) - all clear apart from a slightly high white blood count during my worst time of pain
- food intolerance testing (celiac, lactose etc) - all clear
- MRCP - all clear
Here's what I've tried...
- lifestyle changes: I've cut out fatty, fizzy, acidic and spicy foods, eating smaller and more frequent meals, elevating pillows at bedtime, not wearing tight clothing, not bending down after meals, not eating too close to bedtime, stopped drinking alcohol, chewing food properly and thoroughly
- omeprazole, esomeprazole, rantidine, gaviscon advanced - no help at all
- cut out gluten and dairy for months - no help
- digestive enzymes, ginger tablets, silicolgel, cold milk, ginger beer
- apercap, colpermin, mebeverine, amitriptyline, prozac, buscopan
- apple cider vinegar, ginger tablets, chamomile tea, milk thistle
- good strength probiotic
- beet juice, potato juice, parsley and all the good stuff for gallbladders
Sooooo totally running out of options here. Seen two specialists, been told I have bile reflux and IBS and that there isn't much else for me. Can anyone shed some light? I've just started charcoal tablets today.
Note... I never get the right dull ache in my abdomen and the reflux at the same time. It is always one or the other. Been told NO to gallbladder removal and that I am too young to have problems with it (I'm 22).
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@bborth
I am sorry I did not read your last post until today. A rough few days with my 91 year old mama.
I hope all went well with your appointment. So many gastro conditions have the same symptoms and a gamut of test and experienced doctors is the only way to find out what is going on,
No kidding. I am down to one more test this week.....injecting something into me to see how the bile flows. I had the bravo test last week with the monitor and such for the PH level indicator. I will go over that and this next test this coming Friday when I meet again with my GI surgeon. Given my history, and my lack of any real success with medications he is leaning towards surgery. 2 endoscopic procedures a month apart both show too much bile pooling in the stomach, and the related mucosa thickening/inflammation. I will get a more detailed explanation this Friday, and most likely a date for this surgery. Bascially putting a drain in at the bottom of the stomach to get this bile out quicker. All my symptoms certainly seem to relate to bile being the culprit. After 5 years of dealing with this to varying degrees I am ready to take this step......status quo isn't acceptable for me at 55 years old and a lot of life left to live.
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2 ReactionsI go next week for more testing. So far just a swallow test and endoscopy and doctor visit. It was suppose to be over two days.. now it is 3 days. The doctor who was to do the endoscopy had an emergency. I have achalasia and Barrett's esophagus. I doubt the latter is any better the way I feel. I have other stomach problems too. I am having more stomach and chest pain.. sphincter going into stomach does not always open and food and water will not go down when that happens. Three times within the last two months I thought I would have to go to ER.. that would mean an airlift to Jacksonville. It is about a 5 hour trip by car to Mayo in Jacksonville.
I wish you the best and please update me when you find out anything.
I certainly will, and you do the same. I am counting the hours until my appointment on Friday. Feel like I am at deaths door at this point, so will push for a surgery date sooner than later. Fun stuff.
I had a gastroectomy (80%) with the roux en y but mine was for severe acid reflux. I was getting stomach acid into my lungs. I am 6 weeks out of surgery and getting better every day. I had a Nissen fundoplication surgery 2 years ago that did more harm than good. I was told having the roux en y there's a slight chance of getting bile reflux so I'm not sure how in your case it would stop it. You're opening up a straight shot from your intestines to your stomach. I would get another opinion. Do your homework and search for a doctor that specializes in digestive surgery. Good luck.
Just curious on some feedback from anyone who has had this procedure for said malady. I have almost exhausted the options of medical treatments here with the exception of the powder medication which binds bile salts and such. EUS showed bilious fluid throughout the entire stomach, and something called gastropophy? Have dealt with issues ever since my gallbladder removal back in 14, but now it is worse than ever for some reason. Please respond if you have had this done, and ow you arrived at that decision. Thanks!!
Could you tell us who was your surgeon and what hospital he works out of? So glad you are feeling better!
Dr. Vincent Chang at Rochester General in Rochester, NY
I have a severe bile reflux after vertical gastric sleeve surgery. My BMI was around 35 . THe surgery was a big mistake. Three weeks after surgety i developed problems with swallowing and pain in esophagus. The surgery was ten months ago. Bile reflex is getting worse, my doctor has advised me to revise the surgery to Gastric bypass.
Now life is horrible. Intense heart attack like pains, vomiting, and corrosive liquid burning insides out. Feels you are in a torture program. I would rather be 300 pounds than this. My weight before surgery was 210. Now I can only eat sugar. Cannot even drink a protein shake. Going to start TPN nutrition therapy.
Hope it helps. Anyone know if TPN therapy would at least reduce the pain. Any doctors, please reply.
Hello, Sorry to hear about your problems after surgery. I had a partial gastrectomy where I had 80% of my stomach removed. They also did a ru en y. My surgery was for bad acid reflux. I previously had a nissen fundoplication which failed horribly. I know since my surgery I have to avoid simple sugar. Protein shakes do cause problems for me. I have found the only ones I can drink are the Atkins shakes because they have no sugar. I can eat fruits fine. I would suggest getting another opinion or 2. When my nissen fundoplication failed I went to the same doctor and he didn't give me much hope. I went to 3 other doctors for opinions. I went online and researched surgeons that specialized in digestive issues, found 3, scheduled appointments and met with them, took all my test results, and met with them to see what they thought would help. Luckily I found a surgeon that had 30 years experience in digestive surgery. He in detail explained and showed me (in drawings) what he could do for me. I had similar symptoms you explained after my nissen fundoplication. Since the partial gastrectomy I had in March of 2019 I am so much better. 210 isnt that heavy. Why did you have the gastric sleeve surgery?
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